1 dead, 4 rescued as uncompleted 4-storey building collapses in Enugu

From Jude Chinedu, Enugu

One person is feared dead while four others were rescued after an uncompleted four-storey building collapsed at Independence Layout, Enugu, on Sunday.

The building, said to be under construction as a hotel, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, trapping workers and security personnel who were reportedly sleeping at the site.

Four of the trapped persons were rescued and rushed to hospital for treatment, while rescue workers later recovered another person from the rubble. His condition could not immediately be ascertained as he was taken to a health facility for confirmation.

Residents who rushed to the scene said the situation could have been worse, especially as the site had earlier been sealed by the state government over alleged violations of building regulations.

Speaking to journalists at the scene, Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency (ECTDA), Uche Anya, described the incident as a case involving a recalcitrant developer who failed to comply with approved building codes.

Anya said the agency had taken regulatory action against the property, which was originally approved in 2021.

He said: “This property collapsed in the early hours of the morning. We arrived here around 6am. When we arrived, we met one of the securitymen, who said that six people slept in the uncompleted property, but one of them was not around when the incident occurred.

“So, the government emergency services arrived, and we started rescue operations. Four people, right now, are in the hospital receiving treatment as we speak. I believe there could be one more person in there, and that is why you see all this rescue effort ongoing.

“Meanwhile, this property was approved in 2021 before the advent of this administration. But usually, we have a habit of stocktaking, checking on every construction at every stage.

“When I personally led the team that inspected here, we found out that there were serious integrity issues and non-compliance with their 2021 approval.

“I personally issued the first ‘stop work order,’ which, due to the violation, resulted in our sealing the place over the last six months.

“So, I think within the last 30, 40 days, the representative of the owner, whom they say lives abroad, has been interfacing with us to remedy the situation. This is the process that we are still trying to interface on, and it came down.

“By the way, I have handed the representative to the police, not necessarily for detention, but to help with the investigation. But this is really a very unfortunate situation.”

Also speaking, Director of the Enugu State Fire Service, Okwudiri Oha, commended the swift response of the Red Cross, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), ECTDA, Enugu State Ambulance Services, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He said the mobilisation of rescue equipment, including bulldozers and excavators, helped in rescuing the four survivors.

Oha said: “As a rescue officer, what we did was to ask the security man how many people are here. He said that there were supposed to be six. One person had left before it happened.

“So, we were able at that initial time to rescue four persons. Out of the four, two sustained minor injuries and they were all rushed to a health facility for proper checks.

“Then, as you have seen, we have been working. The last person we just recovered was the fifth person. It is when you get to a health facility that you know whether he is still alive.”

NEMA Information Officer in Enugu, Ezeani Nnanyelugo, also confirmed the figures, saying the earlier sealing of the site by the state government may have prevented a greater tragedy.

He said: “When we came to the scene of the incident, we found out that there were a total of six persons that were supposed to be on the site. One person was not on the site as at the time of the incident, while the four others were rescued and taken to the hospital and have been stabilised.

“Just not quite long ago, one body was recovered and it was taken to the hospital to confirm whether he was dead or alive.”

The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Chinasa Mbah, said rescue workers would continue excavating the entire wreckage to ensure that no survivor or body was left behind.

She said: “We are going to excavate everything because you can see the machines that government brought. We will excavate everything to ensure no survivor or body is left.”